Previews

Dragon Ball Z Sagas

Spiffy:

Co-op mode for twice the action; looks and sounds like the anime.

Iffy:

Fighting may not be very deep; enemies seem repetitive.

After the continued success of the Dragon Ball Z: Bukokai series of fighting games, Atari is eager to give DBZ fans something different. That something comes in the form of DBZ Sagas, the latest game based on the mega-popular anime series. Instead of being a straight up fighter like the Budokai series, however, this is a full-fledged action/adventure game.

The game follows the DBZ storyline from the Saiyan Saga through the Cell Saga. In addition to reenacting the events that occur in the anime and manga, there are also new scenarios that take place within each saga to flesh out the gameplay even more. During the course of the game, you will control five different characters: Goku, Gohan, Vegeta, Piccolo, and Trunks. Since you are following the plot of the show, you can't pick which character you'll be using as you progress. But don't worry; there are some goodies in store to make up for that.

Each stage is comprised of a large, free roaming environment, and as you progress through the level, barrages of enemies appear to challenge you. Each stage has a specific goal, such as collecting all the Dragon Balls or protecting another character from harm. Of course, there's gonna be a boss battle at the end of each world (complete with a pre-fight scan of the bad guy with a reading of his power level).

The odds still looks pretty good for Vegeta.

Rock the Dragon

We've already seen faithful 3D versions of Akira Toriyama's Dragon Ball world in the Budokai games, but they've never been quite as interactive as this. There are tons of destructible elements scattered everywhere, from huge boulders to cars. Toss a fireball at a tree, and it will start to burn. The coolest part, however, is when you pull of a large combo on an enemy and sent him hurtling at an object. It he hits something like a rock; he'll smash right through it. If he hits something larger, like a mountain or a building, they'll leave a huge dent in it, and slide back down to the ground. This is usually enough to kill a standard foe, but when you do this with a boss, he'll get back up and rush back at you, leaving explosions in his wake. It's a great effect that is really true to the anime.